independent record label
An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small and medium-sized enterprise, small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels ...
started on September 11, 2013. The label was founded by
Nuclear Blast
Nuclear Blast Records is a German record label with subsidiary, subsidiaries located in Germany, the United States and Brazil. It was founded in 1987 by Markus Staiger in Donzdorf. Originally releasing hardcore punk records, the label moved on ...
CEO
Markus Staiger
Nuclear Blast Records is a German record label with subsidiaries located in Germany, the United States and Brazil. It was founded in 1987 by Markus Staiger in Donzdorf. Originally releasing hardcore punk records, the label moved on to releasin ...
and former vice president of
Sumerian Records
Sumerian Records is an American record label based in Los Angeles, Washington D.C., and London. The label was founded in 2006 by Ash Avildsen.Nuclear Blast Records
Nuclear Blast Records is a German record label with subsidiary, subsidiaries located in Germany, the United States and Brazil. It was founded in 1987 by Markus Staiger in Donzdorf. Originally releasing hardcore punk records, the label moved on ...
and Shawn Keith, the former vice president of
Sumerian Records
Sumerian Records is an American record label based in Los Angeles, Washington D.C., and London. The label was founded in 2006 by Ash Avildsen. The label has been described as an offshoot label of Nuclear Blast which primarily focuses on rock and alternative music, similar to
Arising Empire
Arising Empire is a German independent record label that focuses primarily on punk, rock, alternative, post-hardcore, and all forms and subsidiaries of metalcore music. It was first established in 2015 in Donzdorf, Baden-Württemberg.
History ...
. Arising Empire focuses on metalcore and punk bands. In an interview, Keith spoke about the label: "Developing this label has been very exciting for me. The opportunity to partner and cultivate new and established artists working toward broadening their global potential is thrilling. SharpTone will continue to diversify and evolve as a brand for music fans to truly identify with. We are not just another record label. We are a new-music company, allowing artists to be as creative and passionate as they choose to be."
The record label was first hinted at on June 23, 2016, when several bands shared a mysterious teaser image reading "A New Era of Music Begins..." on their social media. These bands included
Attila
Attila ( or ; ), frequently called Attila the Hun, was the ruler of the Huns from 434 until his death in early 453. He was also the leader of an empire consisting of Huns, Ostrogoths, Alans, and Gepids, among others, in Central Europe, C ...
,
Don Broco
Don Broco are a British rock music, rock band formed in Bedford, England, in 2008. The band consists of Rob Damiani (lead vocals), Simon Delaney (guitar), Tom Doyle (bass and programming) and Matt Donnelly (drums, lead and backing vocals). The ...
Miss May I
Miss May I is an American metalcore band from Troy, Ohio. Formed in 2007, they signed to Rise Records in 2008 and released their debut album, '' Apologies Are for the Weak'' through the label while the members were still attending high school. T ...
and
We Came as Romans
We Came as Romans (sometimes abbreviated as WCAR) is an American metalcore band from Troy, Michigan. Formed in 2005, the band has gone through one name change and multiple line-up changes, and signed to SharpTone Records in 2016 after having ...
. The first release of the label would be a re-issue of the debut EP ''Prepare Consume Proceed'' by UK metal band Loathe less than a month later, but the labels first
studio album
An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...
release would be Attila's sixth album titled ''
Chaos
Chaos or CHAOS may refer to:
Science, technology, and astronomy
* '' Chaos: Making a New Science'', a 1987 book by James Gleick
* Chaos (company), a Bulgarian rendering and simulation software company
* ''Chaos'' (genus), a genus of amoebae
* ...
'', released November 4 the same year. Other later releases for the year included the American release of Don Broco's ''
Automatic
Automatic may refer to:
Music Bands
* Automatic (Australian band), Australian rock band
* Automatic (American band), American rock band
* The Automatic, a Welsh alternative rock band
Albums
* ''Automatic'' (Jack Bruce album), a 1983 el ...
'', and a release of
Craig Owens
Craig Owens (born August 26, 1984) is an American musician best known as the lead vocalist of Chiodos. He has also had an involvement in various projects such as Cinematic Sunrise, The Sound of Animals Fighting, Isles & Glaciers, and Destroy ...
new side project, badXchannels, who was also signed later in 2016, with the EP being named ''WHYDFML''.
Emmure
Emmure () is an American metalcore band formed in 2003. Originally based in New Fairfield, Connecticut, before moving to Queens, New York, the group has released eight albums, with their first public release being a 2006 EP entitled '' The Co ...
also signed in 2016.
Releases and signings (2017–present)
The label's roster would increase from nine bands in 2016 to seventeen acts by the end of 2017. They released 12 studio albums from bands including Emmure's '' Look at Yourself'', Loathe's ''
The Cold Sun
''The Cold Sun'' is the debut studio album by British heavy metal band Loathe. The album was released on 14 April 2017 through SharpTone Records. ''The Cold Sun'' is a concept album about two protagonists in a post-apocalyptic world.
The albu ...
You Are We
''You Are We'' is the third studio album by British metalcore band While She Sleeps. The band decided to release it through their independent label Sleeps Brothers, and funded the album through PledgeMusic. It was released on 21 April 2017 in co ...
Shadows Inside
'' Shadows Inside'' is the sixth studio album by American metalcore band Miss May I. Released on June 2, 2017, this was the band's first release on SharpTone Records after leaving Rise Records.
The music video for "Lost in the Grey" was directe ...
'' to name a few. In 2018, along with signing four new bands including
Bleeding Through
Bleeding Through is an American metalcore band from Orange County, California, formed in 1999. Influenced largely by hardcore punk and Swedish melodic death metal, the band was established by lead vocalist Brandan Schieppati as a personal projec ...
, the label's first band to move away from the label,
Attila
Attila ( or ; ), frequently called Attila the Hun, was the ruler of the Huns from 434 until his death in early 453. He was also the leader of an empire consisting of Huns, Ostrogoths, Alans, and Gepids, among others, in Central Europe, C ...
, said they wanted absolute creative freedom. That was their reason for going solo without the help of any record label. In 2018 the label issued Don Broco's ''
Technology
Technology is the application of Conceptual model, conceptual knowledge to achieve practical goals, especially in a reproducible way. The word ''technology'' can also mean the products resulting from such efforts, including both tangible too ...
'', Sink the Ship's ''Persevere'', and
Bleeding Through
Bleeding Through is an American metalcore band from Orange County, California, formed in 1999. Influenced largely by hardcore punk and Swedish melodic death metal, the band was established by lead vocalist Brandan Schieppati as a personal projec ...
The record label primarily focuses on different subgenres within
rock music
Rock is a Music genre, genre of popular music that originated in the United States as "rock and roll" in the late 1940s and early 1950s, developing into a range of styles from the mid-1960s, primarily in the United States and the United Kingdo ...
, more specifically the
post-hardcore
Post-hardcore is a punk rock music genre that maintains the aggression and intensity of hardcore punk but emphasizes a greater degree of creative expression. Like the term " post-punk", the term "post-hardcore" has been applied to a broad conste ...
and
progressive metalcore
Progressive metalcore (also called technical metalcore or ambient metalcore) is a fusion of progressive metal and metalcore characterized by highly technical lead guitar, "atmospheric" elements, and complex instrumentation. Some notable practiti ...
side of rock. Early signings included
Attila
Attila ( or ; ), frequently called Attila the Hun, was the ruler of the Huns from 434 until his death in early 453. He was also the leader of an empire consisting of Huns, Ostrogoths, Alans, and Gepids, among others, in Central Europe, C ...
,
Emmure
Emmure () is an American metalcore band formed in 2003. Originally based in New Fairfield, Connecticut, before moving to Queens, New York, the group has released eight albums, with their first public release being a 2006 EP entitled '' The Co ...
,
Currents
Currents, Current or The Current may refer to:
Science and technology
* Current (fluid), the flow of a liquid or a gas
** Air current, a flow of air
** Ocean current, a current in the ocean
*** Rip current, a kind of water current
** Current (hy ...